Monday, November 22, 2010

“Being a mom of 6, how do you use quality time with all of your children to ensure that they receive the best nourishment for their body & mind?”

Quality time? What is quality time when you have had six children in just 5 years?

Just kidding!

Actually, when I stopped to think about it, I do squeeze in quality time with my kids each day and I do it a lot more than I realize. Often, it's the little day-to-day tasks that I overlook and fail to recognize for their value and teachable moments. After all, our children are always watching us and learning from seeing what we do in life.

My weekly (or even twice weekly) trips to the grocery store and farmer's market are showing my children how to make healthy food choices and teaching them the value in spending money wisely. The actual experience of trekking to the store has taught my little ones how to behave in a public setting, how to respond politely to adults who ask them questions, and how to be considerate of others. Who would have guessed you could nourish your children's minds just by running errands?

In our home, one of the most obvious ways that I nourish my children's minds is by homeschooling them. I teach them everything-from reading and writing to math and science. It's hard work to have 6 young children in the house all day, every day... but it is totally worth it. The time spent with my children now will be over before I know it and we will do our best to cherish this time together.

My kids love to run and play outside and we always encourage them to be active. (Well, except when they are climbing the furniture or bouncing off of the walls.) They also see me exercising at home or see Daddy going to the gym. This reinforces the importance of staying active and healthy. In a house with two sets of twins (and 4 boys!) there is a lot of physical activity. Little bodies (and big ones too) need to be active to stay fit.One of the ways that I have nourished my children's bodies is by providing healthy foods for them. It's about more than just eating. My children have grown up visiting farms and farmer's markets. They know where food comes from. They understand the importance of the local farmer who grows the strawberries we eat for breakfast or the local dairy farmer whose cows have provided the milk on their cereal each morning.Whether we are picking berries together, eating a freshly cooked dinner, or sharing a good book, there are little ways that I can nourish my children's bodies and minds each day. My children are learning just by living!

I am part of the Cheerios Blogger Circle and did receive a gift pack for participating. No other compensation was received.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Since my second child was just a soft, squishy newborn, I have been in love with Earth Mama Angel Baby. I first fell in love with the Angel Baby Lotion and then went through tub after tub of the Angel Baby Bottom Balm. My son is 6 now, so I have a lot of good things to say about EMAB after years of using their products.

Earth Mama Angel Baby makes products that you can really feel good about using, especially on a newborn's sensitive skin. EMAB makes products that are free of toxins and are created using pure, organic oils. In fact, if you read the label on any of their products you will be able to pronounce each ingredient name because there are no strange chemicals or fragrances. In addition to being safe for us, their products are also not tested on animals. Every single product from EMAB has tested at a level zero for toxins on the Skin Deep Database.

All safety and eco-consciousness aside, Earth Mama Angel Baby makes products that are delightful to use. The Angel Baby Bottom Balm is safe to use with cloth diapers and I have never seen any rash cream do a better job of clearing up whatever rash or boo-boo that my children could get. The Angel Baby Lotion smells heavenly and leaves skin buttery soft. EMAB's pregnancy teas are delicious and work wonders to soothe morning sickness. I'd tell you how well their New Mama Bottom Spray works on postpartum hemorrhoids, but that is just TMI.

I have personally used almost every product that Earth Mama Angel Baby makes, and have used many of their products with my doula clients as well. I can not say enough wonderful things about these products or this company. I'm in love.

A few years ago I contacted Melinda, the Mama behind Earth Mama Angel Baby. I approached her about EMAB supporting ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) through advertising for an upcoming conference. I was amazed by her generosity when she not only offered to support ICAN's conference, but also offered to donate a portion of the proceeds from every C-Section Healing Kit to ICAN. Earth Mama Angel Baby is a company that cares deeply about mothers and babies.One of Earth Mama Angel Baby's newest products is the Happy Mama Body Wash. See that sweet girl on the label? That's my daughter, Sarah. See that huge belly? That's my belly, ripe with my second set of twins, who were born just a few weeks after the photo was taken. The body wash? Out of this world. It smells good enough to eat (but don't) and it feels like silk on your skin. I use it myself and I use it on my children. In fact, EMAB products are the only ones I use on any of my babies.

Would you like to try a bottle of Happy Mama Body Wash? Leave a comment here telling me why you'd love to try a product from Earth Mama Angel Baby and I'll draw a winner at random on November 20, 2010. For one additional entry, tweet or blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post and leave me a comment to let me know.

Giveaway has ended. Congratulations to Anna! Random.org picked your comment as the winner!

I am not affiliated with EMAB in any way and I don't get paid to promote their products. This is just a company I admire with products I won't hesitate to recommend.

About Me

I'm a Christian mom, Army wife, and doula. I've had 6 children in 5 years including not one, but two, sets of identical twins. I'm an advocate for homebirth and I gave birth to my twin girls on the floor of my own bedroom. (View my homebirth story here. ) I just survived a long deployment and a cross-country move with sanity mostly intact.